Sod-cutting attachment for spades.



A. N. SEVERSON. SOD CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR SPADES. APPLICATION FILED SBPT.19, 1908.

I 958,188. Patented May 17, 1916.

Witwzooeo @wp/g ANDREW N. SE'VERSON, OF MAPLE PARK, ILLINOIS.

SOD-CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR SPADES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17, 1910.

Application filed September 19, 1908. Serial No. 453,785.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW N. SEVERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maple Park, in the county of Kane, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sod-Cutting Attachments for Spades; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally, to spades, and particularly to that class employed in excavating ditches.

The object of the invention is in a ready and practical manner, and without material change in the structural arrangement of a spade, to adapt it for cutting the sod in advance of and on both sides of the blade, whereby the necessity of incising the sod, as a separate operation, as is necessary with spades of the ordinary construction, is rendered unnecessary, thereby materially lessening the labor incident to digging, and in direct proportion increasing the per diemexcavating capacity of a workman.

With the above and other objects in view as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists, generally stated, in an attachment for spades comprising a spade-shoulder engaging member constituting a foot rest, a sod cutting member connected therewith, and means for securing the cutting member to a spade blade. The foot rest consists of a length of metal provided with a longitudinal channel to receive the spade shoulder, and furnished at one end with an upturned toe to bear against the spade handle or ferrule adjacent to the blade, and intermediate of its ends with a plurality of orifices to receive the upper end of the shank of the sod cutter, this portion of the attachment being threaded to receive a nut by which the two members are held firmly assembled. The lower end of the sod cutter is thin and relatively long to provide a cutting edge that is disposed at right angles to the face of the spade blade. As a matter of further improvement, the shank of the cutter is held assembled with the blade by a pair of clips the ends of which project beyond the edge of the blade to form a crotch or seat in which the shank is firmly secured. The provision of a plurality of orifices in the foot rest is of great importance, as it will adapt the attachment for use in connection with any of the standard makes of spades on the market.

The invention consists further in the various novel details 01' construction of a sod cutting attachment for spades, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate correspond ing parts, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a spade blade, and a portion of the handle thereof, showing the former equipped with the attachment constituting the present in vention. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the sod cutters, showing more particularly the disposition of the clips by which the shank is held assembled with the spade blade. Fig. 3 is an inverted perspective view of the foot rest.

Referring to the drawings, 6 designates the lower portion of the handle of a spade, and 7 the blade thereof, and as these parts may be of the usual or any preferred construction, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The present invention, as above stated, resides in a novel form of sod cutting attachment which is adapted for ready connection with and disconnection from the spade blade, and as the attachment is duplicated on each side or edge of the blade, a description of one will serve for both.

The attachment comprises a foot rest 8, which is constructed from a length of metal provided with a longitudinal channel 11 to receive the shoulder of the spade, whereby to prevent the rest from having any swinging movement relatively to the spade blade. The inner end of the rest is upturned to provide a toe 9 that is designed to bear against the handle 6 adjacent to the blade, and which is provided with an orifice 10 to receive a bolt 12 by which the two foot rests are firmly secured to the handle, as clearly shown in Fig. l. The foot rest is provided, within the channel, with a plurality of orifices 15, of which any desired number may be furnished, and which are designed to receive a reduced threaded extension 20 of the sod cutter, a nut 21 turned upon the extension and bearing upon the foot rest serving to clamp the two parts of the structure firmly together. A plurality of orifices 15 is provided for the purpose of adapting the attachment for use in connection with spades of different widths, so

that the attachment may be secured to any size spade that it is desired to employ.

The cutter embodies a shank 18, and a blade 17 the latter terminating in an approximately straight cutting edge 19 that may be disposed at any desired distance above the edge of the spade blade. The rear edge of the cutter is straight, and is disposed approximately at right angles to the cutting edge 19, and is designed to be disposed fiush with the rear side of the spade blade, thus to obviate the presentation of a projecting part that would increase the difiiculty of using the implement. The -torward edge of the cutter is formed in this instance, on a compound curve, but this is not essential as it may be otherwise contoured, and still be within the scope of the invention. As a means for holding the cutter rigid with relation to the blade, a pair of clips 22 and 28 is provided which are held assembled with the blade by a bolt 24. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 1 that the clips are so positioned as not to present obstructions which \VOIUL'L interrere with the penetration of the spade blade into the soil, and are necessary in order to relieve strain from the threaded extensions 20, which would probably not be able to withstand the leverage to which they would be subjected in the use of the implement.

As will be obvious, the only change that will be required in a spade to adapt it to receive this attachment will be the provision of orifices in the blade to receive the bolts 24, and an orifice in the handle to receive the bolt 12, and as these may readily be provided by an ordinary mechanic, it will be seen that the adaptation of the attachment to a spade will be av matter of but small labor, and requiring no particular skill.

From the above description it will be apparent that although the improvements herein set forth are simple in character, they will be thoroughly efiicient for the purposes designed, and will result, in use, in an increased amount of effective work without any material addition to the labor of the workman.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. An attachment for spades comprising a foot rest, and a sod cutter connected therewith.

2. An attachment for spades comprising a foot rest, and a sod cutter connected for longitudinal adjustment therewith.

8. An attachment for spades comprising a channeled foot rest, and a sod cutter connected therewith.

4. An attachment for spades comprising a foot rest provided at one end with means for connecting it with a spade handle, and a sod cutter connected with the foot rest.

5. An attachment for spades comprising a longitudinally channeled foot rest provided at one end with means for attachment with a spade handle, and a sod cutter connected with the foot rest.

6. An attachment for spades comprising a footrest provided with a plurality of orifices, and a sod cutter having a part to engage with any one of the orifices.

7. An attachment for spades comprising a foot rest provided with a plurality of orifices, a sod cutter having a part to engage any one of the orifices, and means for securing the part within the appropriate orifice.

8. An attachment for spades comprising a longitudinally channeled foot rest provided with a plurality of alined orifices, a sod cutter having a part to engage any one of the orifices, and means for securing the part within an appropriate orifice.

9. An attachment for spades comprising a foot rest, a sod cutter connected therewith, and clips for connecting the cutter to the blade of a spade.

10. An attachment for spades comprising a longitudinally channeled foot rest provided with a plurality of alined orifices, a sod cutter having a reduced extension to engage any one of the orifices, means for securing the extension within the appropriate orifice, and means for attaching the cutter to a spade blade.

In testimony whereof, I a'lfix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW N. SEVERSON.

\Vitnesses Ti-ros. M. CLIFFE, NILS MILLER. 

